Malayalam actors agree on 25 pc pay cut

This was part of several decisions agreed upon at a meeting in Kochi on Saturday between representatives of the actors’ body AMMA and producers association.

AMMA president Innocent said that leading actors who participate in television reality shows would be withdrawing from them as part of the agreement. A detailed project report  would be submitted 45 days before shooting commences.

The meeting was necessitated by the producers’ decision to shelve all ongoing projects till actors agreed to cut their payment. Producers’ association president Sabu Cherian said that since remuneration of actors accounted for as much as 60 per cent of the total costs, the cost-cutting decision would be a big relief. Escalating production costs and yearly losses touching Rs 150 crore had prompted the industry to introduce stringent cost-cutting measures. The producers demand that production cost should not exceed Rs 3.5 crore for superstar films.